Two long-distance operators, East Coast and Virgin Trains, also fared badly with significant delays during much of the day.

Across the rail network as a whole, only 40 percent of services met their target during yesterday morning’s rush hour.

Train operators had promised to improve the accuracy of information for passengers about delayed and cancelled services after they were criticised for their handling of the 2010 big freeze.

However, travellers took to social media sites yesterday to accuse the companies of providing misleading updates.

Tom Hoggins wrote on Twitter: “Had an eye on the National Rail website all day. Things were looking rosy. Get to the station and ENTIRE LINE IS SUSPENDED. Utter shambles.”

Failing to provide accurate information could prove costly for train operators as they could be fined up to 10 percent of their turnover by the Office of Rail Regulation, which said it will be “watching carefully” how they performed during the cold snap.

An Association of Train Operating Companies spokesman said: “Train companies invest time and money in providing passengers with reliable and consistent travel information and the industry will continue to work together to find ways of improving this even further.”

Meanwhile, the price of hotels around Heathrow Airport soared by up to 50 percent yesterday as the number of stranded air passengers put rooms in short supply.

In most cases the bill will be picked up by airlines, who under EU law are obliged to pay for accommodation for passengers when flights are cancelled.

The Sofitel at Heathrow was charging £341.30 for a room last night, compared with £220.80 in a week’s time. A double room at the nearby Arora cost £159 compared with £115 next Monday.

Heathrow once again struggled more than other airports yesterday, with 192 arrivals and departures cancelled out of 1,332 scheduled flights.

However, the weather situation is improving at the west London airport and it did not need to cancel any of today’s services in advance.

Meanwhile, councils came under fire for failing to grit minor roads and pavements over the weekend.

While the Highways Agency was able to keep main roads clear, the picture away from the trunk network was far less encouraging.

The London Ambulance Service reported having to deal with 1,417 falls over the weekend compared with 1,085 a week earlier.

“It’s very worrying to hear from our supporters and other sources that many local councils are neglecting to grit pavements during this icy period,” said Jayne Phenton, of campaign group Living Streets.

Forecasters said heavy snow could fall across parts of south Wales and western England today, but snow in north-east England and eastern Scotland would become lighter throughout the day.

The wintry conditions are expected to continue for the rest of the week, with temperatures barely rising above freezing, although most places should be dry.